Omega’s Kenneth Thompson Passes

Plastic Components’ Tom Stark Passes

certainteed Debuts New Branding

Spackle by Dave Coverly

People

Construction Sector Adds 25K Employees in January

SmartEquip Celebrates Record Growth

Warner Construction Wins Associated Builders, Contractors Awards

FCIA Announces Partnership With Training Group

Construction Sector Adds 25K Employees in January

Construction firms added 25,000 employees in January and raised wages for hourly workers more steeply than other sectors, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government data. Association officials said the industry was benefitting from relatively strong demand for construction projects, as firms struggle to fill available positions in the sector.

“Construction employment and pay gains outpaced the economy as a whole in the past year, showing that demand for projects remains strong,” said Ken Simonson, the Association’s chief economist. “In fact, most contractors would like to hire even more workers and are raising pay in an effort to attract them.”

Construction employment totaled a record 7,884,000, seasonally adjusted, in January, an increase of 294,000, or 3.9 percent, from a year earlier. That growth rate topped the 3.3 percent rise in total non-farm employment.

Nonresidential firms—comprising nonresidential building and specialty trade contractors along with heavy and civil engineering construction firms—added 19,300 employees in January and 179,200 employees, or 4 percent, over 12 months. Residential building and specialty trade contractors together added 5,500 employees for the month and 114,600 employees, or 3.6 percent, over the year.

Pay levels in the construction industry continued to increase in January at a faster pace than in the overall private sector. Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory workers in construction—mostly hourly craft workers—climbed by 6.2 percent, from $31.44 in January 2022 to $33.38 last month. That increase exceeded the 5.1 percent rise in average pay for all private sector production workers. Workers in construction now earn an average of 18.1 percent more per hour than in the private sector as a whole.

Job openings in construction at the end of 2022 totaled 359,000, the highest December total in the 23-year history of the data. Simonson said that figure reinforced contractors’ reports that they are seeking far more workers than they have been able to hire, despite the industry’s large job gains over the past year.

Association officials said the industry likely would have added even more jobs if firms could find more people to hire, noting that 80 percent of firms in the Association’s recent survey reported having a hard time finding qualified workers to hire. They urged federal officials to allow more people with construction skills to lawfully enter the country to work in the industry. And they urged federal officials to boost funding and support for all types of construction-focused education and training programs.

“Construction firms are doing everything in their power to recruit even more people into the industry,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the Association’s chief executive officer. “Closing a federal funding gap that puts $5 into college-track programs for every dollar spent on career and technical education will help expose many more workers to high-paying career opportunities in fields like construction.”

SmartEquip Celebrates Record Growth

SmartEquip has announced a record growth for its business. The company’s network has grown to more than 700 suppliers in 20 countries around the world, which support more than 100 equipment owners across the globe, including the top five rental companies in the world: United Rentals, Sunbelt Rentals, AKTIO, LOXAM and Herc Rentals.

“We started in North America, have grown our European and Asian markets expansively over the past decade and are excited to continue building the SmartEquip network around the world with the help of our parent company, Ritchie Bros.,” said Alexander Schuessler, founder and president of International Group at SmartEquip. “We will be showcasing our solutions and services at CONEXPO-CON/AGG this month, as well as also celebrating our 10-year anniversary in Europe.”

Equipment owners around the world recognize the drain on fleet uptime due to the labor- and time-intensive need to locate the right parts and appropriate service procedures for their equipment repairs. SmartEquip’s global network allows manufacturers and dealers to electronically deliver the right parts and support information to the individual service technician, dynamically customized to the make, model and serial number of the equipment.

Warner Construction Wins Associated Builders & Contractors Awards

The Cumberland Valley Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. is pleased to be congratulating Warner Construction on winning two different first-place Associated Builders & Contractors awards. They won awards in the Commercial Less than 5 Million category for their Frederick Transit project and their work on the Boonsboro High School Auditorium. They are honored to be awarded for their hard work and craftsmanship.

As first place winners, Warner Construction has been invited by the Cumberland Valley Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. to attend an award ceremony honoring their work on these two projects and to formally be awarded for winning first place.

Warner Construction is gearing up for these projects to compete in the upcoming ABC National Excellence in Construction Awards, occurring in March. This event is where all the award winners will be recognized at a celebration at the National EIC banquet.

Work on the Frederick Transit project consisted of building an addition as well as renovating their existing building. The renovations made to the current building were to demolish the interior walls and building systems while maintaining the structural frame, portions of the exterior walls, roof and prominent metal corners of the building. A new addition was also constructed so the new and old could work seamlessly together as a unified whole.

Renovations to the Boonsboro High School Auditorium was a $4.5 million project that included the installation of automated projection screens, automated stage curtains, hoists, tension grids for AV equipment, full gyroscopic lights and a full suite of state-of-the-art audio equipment. The project also included creating a new security vestibule, which serves as an area for students to gather and provides additional space for storage. The buildout of the new vestibule included adding in new HVAC systems, flooring and making renovations to several of the school’s bathroom facilities.

Warner Construction is proud to have won awards for both of these valued projects and is excited for projects to come.

FCIA Announces Partnership With Training Group

The International Fire Code requires annual visual inspection of all fire-resistance-rated assemblies and the protection features—firestopping included. Fire doors can be the entry to building owners to help them satisfy the annual visual inspection requirement in NFPA 80 and the International Fire Code.

To ‘get you in the door,’ FCIA announced a new partnership with the Door Opening Industry Training Group. DOIT provides discounts for FCIA members to learn about how to inspect fire doors in new and existing buildings.

DOIT Courses include:

• Qualified Fire Door Inspector Training and Certification
• Opening Industry Bootcamp
• Building a Code Foundation

Once you are in the door, an existing building survey for firestopping, fire dampers and fire resistance-rated walls and floors can be presented, helping building owners and managers comply with the International Fire Code (annual visual inspection), NFPA 1 (high-rise every three years), and NFPA 101 (maintain protection) requirements.

The next course is March 27-30 in Charlotte, N.C. For more information, visit educate-doit.com.

Thompson Building Materials’ Kenneth Thompson Passes

To those who knew Kenneth “Kenny” Thompson, he was an icon of the lath and plaster industry. He passed away recently at age 85.

Thompson started Thompson Building Materials in 1982 with his first yard in Orange, Calif. He eventually had material yards around the state and then founded Omega Products International, a stucco manufacturer that expanded operations throughout the western U.S.

When Thompson saw an opportunity or need, he rarely hesitated and would “dive in with full vigor to make it happen,” according to a release from his close contacts. He ended up owning dozens of significant companies in various industries. His passion was promoting young boxers with Thompson Promotions, a top-level promoter.

He was also a great supporter of trade associations, such as the Stucco Manufacturers Association, The Western Wall & Ceiling Contractors Association and other regional groups in our industry. Thompson shaped the industry and his passing marks the end of an era for plastering.

Plastic Components’ Tom Stark Passes

Plastic Components has announced the death of its longtime president Tom Stark, on March 6.

Stark became president of the company in 1977.

He was born in South Florida in 1953. He attended the University of Florida where he met his wife, Betty (Elizabeth) and earned his degree in Accounting.

In a public release, Plastic Components said: “It’s sad to announce the passing of our long-time President Mr. Thomas S. Stark. Taken from us way too soon, it was a honor and pleasure to have worked for you Tom. Many blessings to the entire Stark family.”

Stark is survived by his wife, Betty, two daughters: Meredith (Camille) Oostwegel and Allison (Aaren) Riley, and three grandsons: Spencer and Winston Oostwegel, and Sawyer Stark-Riley; as well as his brother Gene (Jean) Stark and sister Patricia Stark.

certainteed Debuts New Branding

In January, certainteed unveiled its new brand identity. This milestone represents a major paradigm shift for the manufacturer—reinforcing its customer-focused, comprehensive offering of light and sustainable building solutions and systems. This new chapter emphasizes the company’s category leadership—strengthening how the North American manufacturer positions, supports and educates building professionals on its products, which include roofing, siding, ceilings, insulation and gypsum solutions for the residential and commercial markets.

“As a leader at the forefront of the building sector, we recognized an opportunity to evolve how our customers specify our products,” said certainteed CEO Mark Rayfield. “We’re taking ‘one-stop shop’ to the next level by serving as a preferred source for cohesive systems and complementary products that not only help builders grow their reputation, but make it easier than ever to deliver on what matters most: performance, sustainability and longevity.”